This brief assesses the potential benefits and drawbacks to states from implementing a Basic Health Program under the Affordable Care Act. The law gives states the option of creating a Basic Health Program, using federal tax money to subsidize insurance coverage for low-income residents who would otherwise be eligible to…

Figure 1: State Decisions for Creating Health Insurance Marketplaces State-based health insurance marketplaces, or exchanges, are a key component of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the places where individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for coverage. States can build a fully state-based…

This report provides an early look at state efforts to prepare for health reform, examining the experiences to date in five states (Connecticut, Michigan, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Washington). The report finds that the state political environment and expected leadership transitions create uncertainties and are already factoring into state strategies…

More Americans Back Than Oppose State Medicaid Expansions But, Like Many Governors, Public Splits Along Party Lines On The Federal Deficit, Public Wants Action But Still Resists Most Cuts and Sacrifices, Especially to Medicare A majority of Americans put the creation of state-based health insurance exchanges at the top of…

As the 113th Congress is sworn in, and President Barack Obama begins his second term of office, a comprehensive new Kaiser Family Foundation/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Harvard School of Public Health survey queried the public about their priorities for, and views on, a wide range of health and health policy issues.…

The new health reform law will require most U.S. citizens and legal residents to have health coverage by 2014. It provides new options for coverage by expanding Medicaid eligibility to more low-income people and creating a state-based system of health insurance exchanges through which individuals can purchase coverage, with federal…

Updated as of October 10, 2013 Establishing the Marketplace In July 2012, Governor Jack Markell (D) indicated that Delaware would begin planning for a State Partnership Marketplace.1 Delaware will retain plan management and consumer assistance functions, and defer other Marketplace management functionality to the federal government.2 In July 2013, the…

Updated as of February 11, 2013 Establishing the Exchange In October 2011, Mississippi’s elected Commissioner of Insurance Mike Chaney (R) announced that the state would establish a Health Insurance Exchange that would be operated by the Mississippi Comprehensive Health Insurance Risk Pool Association and regulated by the Insurance Department.1 However, Governor…

Updated as of September 29, 2013 Establishing the Marketplace On April 12, 2006, former Governor Mitt Romney (R) signed into law comprehensive health reform legislation designed to provide near-universal health coverage for state residents.1 The Massachusetts health reform law became the model for national health reform. An important component of…